LBR STD 10

Capitalism is an economic, social and political system primarily driven by

Private ownership and the pursuit of profit

Capitalism requires maximum extraction of labor—what historically made this possible?

Systems of domination and devaluation

Whose labor formed the backbone of the 19th-century U.S. economy through cotton production?

Enslaved Africans and their descendants

U.S. cotton rose from 1% of world market in 1790 to what percent by the 1830s?

80%

Growth of cotton productivity during enslavement was driven primarily by

Brutal systems of torture and quotas

“You cannot have Manchester without Mississippi” refers to

The connection between British industrialization and U.S. enslaved labor

The NLRA (1935) granted workers the right to

Form unions and collectively bargain

Under the NLRA, which group was excluded from union protections?

Agricultural workers

The Taft-Hartley Act (1947) was designed to

Further regulate union and worker power

“Right to Work” laws allow workers to

Not pay union dues while still benefiting from the union

In Los Angeles in 2010, approx. what percent of low-wage workers experienced wage theft?

80%

Worker centers emerged to support workers who were

Not represented by unions

Which campaign organized LA carwash workers?

CLEAN Carwash Campaign

A union is

A group of workers coming together to improve workplace conditions

Collective bargaining is

Negotiation between workers and employers

Major era of U.S. deindustrialization

1970s–1980s

The Bracero Program brought workers from

Mexico

Which is NOT a characteristic of low-wage work?

Healthcare benefits

The “Working Poor” are

People working but earning below the poverty line

A key principle of worker organizing is

Building relationships

Organizers in one-on-ones should spend about what percent of time listening?

80%

Inoculation in organizing means

Preparing workers for employer anti-union tactics

An assessment scale is used for

Assessing a worker’s level of commitment

A “Leader” is someone who

Has followers

Strategic campaigns are designed to

Build power through comprehensive plans

Power mapping identifies

Decision-makers and influencers

A primary target in a campaign is

The person/entity with power to give workers what they want

Escalation in campaigns means

Increasing pressure over time

An economic issue in bargaining

Wages

A non-economic issue in bargaining

Just cause for termination

A Tentative Agreement (TA) is

An agreement pending member vote

An Unfair Labor Practice includes

Retaliating against union activists

Relying on staff to fix problems represents

A service model

Historically highest unionization rates occurred among

Black workers

Secondary strikes are

Illegal under Taft-Hartley

The Triangle Shirtwaist Fire highlighted the need for

Workplace safety laws

The Wage Theft Campaign fought for

Local wage-theft enforcement

A worker’s relationship to capital is defined by

Selling their labor

High worker participation in bargaining creates

Strong leverage

Capitalism benefits from

All of the above

Purpose of a caucus in bargaining

Private discussion

Percent of private-sector workforce unionized (EPI Jan 2025)

6.7%

Section 7 of the NLRA protects

Concerted activity

Starbucks workers are fighting for

All of the above

The “pushing system” in slavery refers to

Brutal productivity enforcement

Migrant workers make up what percent of U.S. labor force?

19%

Rev. Lawson describes nonviolence as

A strategic method of power

Justice for Janitors Campaign is best described as

Uniting immigrant janitors through militant direct action and industry-wide bargaining

Lawson’s “violence system” means

Institutions structured around violence

Nonviolent movements aim to

Transform systems and relationships

T/F Capitalism in the U.S. is neutral and free of racial hierarchy.

False

T/F The U.S. has the highest incarceration rates among developed countries.

True

T/F Enslaved people’s bodies were used as collateral for credit.

True

T/F Cotton was not important to early American capitalism.

False

T/F Quotas were used to increase productivity through brutality.

True

T/F By the 1860s, about 4 million enslaved people lived in the U.S.

True

T/F In Nickel and Dimed, Barbara Ehrenreich found it easy to survive on low-wage work.

False

T/F Low-wage jobs in Nickel & Dimed offered predictable schedules.

False

T/F Ehrenreich struggled to find affordable housing near work.

True

T/F Supervisors in Nickel and Dimed treated workers respectfully.

False

T/F Hard work alone is enough to escape poverty.

False

T/F “Soul force” is only meant to uplift the oppressed.

False

T/F Nonviolent action can create pressure without physical force.

True

T/F Nonviolent movements rely on mass participation.

True

T/F Wildcat strikes are fully protected under Taft-Hartley.

False

T/F Right-to-Work laws weaken unions.

True

T/F Early U.S. government actions often sided with employers.

True

T/F Worker centers are alternatives to unions.

True

T/F Worker centers focus mainly on dues collection.

False

T/F Immigrant workers make major contributions to the U.S. economy.

True

T/F Factory owners resisted early union organizing.

True

T/F Deportation drives in the 1930s–1950s removed mostly non-citizens.

False

T/F Social Movement Unionism prioritizes direct action.

True

T/F Business Unionism emphasizes staff solving problems.

True

T/F A Tentative Agreement is final and binding.

False

T/F The NLRB administers union elections.

True

T/F Escalation means lowering pressure.

False

T/F Power mapping identifies targets and influencers.

True

T/F One-on-one conversations should be mostly listening.

True

T/F Poor conditions in the Industrial Revolution helped spark unionization.

True

T/F Labeling workers as unskilled devalues their labor.

True

T/F The Knights of Labor welcomed women and Black workers.

True

T/F Union support is at a 60-year high of 70%.

True

T/F The boss must concede demands if bargaining in good faith.

False

T/F Employers often try to divide workers during bargaining.

True

T/F Strategic campaigns escalate and combine tactics.

True

T/F Retaliation can be an unfair labor practice.

True

T/F The cotton gin reduced the need for enslaved labor.

False

T/F Industrialization started with textiles.

True

T/F Child labor and dangerous conditions were common in the Industrial Revolution.

True

T/F The Triangle Shirtwaist Fire had little impact on law.

False

T/F Worker centers helped immigrant workers fight wage theft.

True

T/F LA has one of the smallest underground economies.

False

T/F Undocumented workers have no labor rights.

False

T/F Domestic/agricultural workers were excluded from the NLRA.

True

T/F Wage theft includes failure to provide meal/rest breaks.

True

T/F The Working Poor earn above the poverty line.

False

T/F Worker power is built only through policy, not organizing.

False

T/F One-on-one conversations weaken campaigns.

False

T/F Migrant labor fills major U.S. labor shortages.

True